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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — electric
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — a coil
  13. club — for golf
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. bound — tied together
  22. club — a group
  23. bore — to tire
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com